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4. Musings of High Chancellor Jerome Hayes #RRBC

This is a day truly blessed by the Gods above – for we have fulfilled the prophecy and arrived safely at our new home – Genesis! Now we can begin the sacred tasks we were born to accomplish. I feel the staggering weight of the responsibilities the Gods have assigned to me as their Vicar.

I must never forget that my first duty, every minute of every day, is to protect and promote the faith. Without the faith, we are nothing! Fulfilling the Gods’ will gives us legitimacy and their holy strength in all that we do. This sacred office, willed to me by the Gods, just six months ago, is both exhilarating and… frightening. But I cannot bend – or show that fear to anyone! I must appear confident and decisive – especially in the eyes of the Council. My brother Chancellors will support me when I am strong.

I long for the day when we can rid ourselves of the scum – the disbelievers among us. Their very existence is an affront to the Gods! How I tire of their stubborn refusal to embrace our holy faith. I fail to understand how they can refuse the spiritual comforts that only the Gods can provide. Their stiff-necked ways cause so much antagonism among the faithful! There are those among us who give in to their desire to punish the Naval class; they lash out. I understand that… but the resulting strife does society a disservice.

It seems that every time one of the faithful even looks the wrong way at one of those scum heathens, I find Hastings beating down my door demanding redress… ever so respectfully. Often, feelings of impatience just overwhelm me; I lash out at him. I hate his lack of faith, but I admire his strength when he stands his ground – knowing I could end his miserable life. His love for and his loyalty to his people are not bad in themselves, but… they’re misplaced.

Why is our society this way? Why does faith come so easily to us when it is impossible for them? Is this division the will of the Gods? Is this part of heir divine plan for humanity? How can this be? Perhaps They allow the Naval class to exist in order to test our faith… our loyalty to the Holy Scriptures. I just don’t know for sure.

I do know, with certainty, that I must be firm in my command as we embark upon the task of colonizing the planet… this beautiful Genesis. The Gods named it well. I need information and only Hastings and his people are equipped to provide it. The ArcGeneral tells me that his teams of scientists will require two weeks to gather the necessary information from the surface. If they encounter opposition, I’ll get Hastings to send down his marines. It is better they be sacrificed for this great cause first, before our faithful Crusaders. Yes… much better.

Once the members of the Naval class build our settlements, we must segregate the two groups into separate sections of the towns and cities. We cannot have their heathen ways contaminating the faithful – especially our children. The unfortunate truth is that we need the skills and expertise of the scum Naval class to create and maintain our cities and infrastructures: transportation, communication, sewers, safe water, and energy distribution. So I must order the creation of two different, and separate, educational establishments. If we are to survive, the heathens are needed to get a healthy economy running. It sickens me, but we do need the disbelievers.

I must govern with a firm hand… Gods help me. Hastings and his minions have to be kept in check. It galls me that his second-in-command is a harlot! I understand that, after losing his wife, he needs to bed someone like Romano. But it is unnatural to give a woman any authority over men – an insult to the Gods! I’m sure his daughter won’t turn out any better.

My dear wife, Victoria, and our three children, are innocent in the ways of our Gods – as it should be. I need to keep them away from the corrupting influence of harlots, like Romano, and the rest of that heathen class.

I pray, to the Gods above, to shower us with their benediction, now, and forever…

About John Fioravanti

Author, John Fioravanti writes non-fiction as well as fiction in the sci-fi genre. He's a retired secondary school educator and a lifelong learner. He considers himself a work in progress and welcomes the opinions and insights that others may have about his work. He prizes dialogue about meaningful topics, so please leave your thoughts!

I guess it’s inevitable that our prejudices and ignorance will one day follow us to the stars, even when the ‘Gods’ punish both the faithful and heathens with a deadly, world-destroying plague. It’s a pity we’re so predictable as a species, but it does make for some interesting angles to write about! 😀

Turning out to be an interesting little prequel series – to see where all the in-fighting cam from! 😉

Indeed, Jan – the one major unchanging factor that transcends geography, time and culture is human nature! I’m glad you’re enjoying it – it’s fun to create the origins of a new human civilization! Thanks for your support!

Hi,
This post caught my attention because of the title. Then, I read it. Since I am not yet familiar with your works, I am assuming that this is a character in one of your books, and I want to know more. I think I’ll read the book.
Shalom aleichem,
Patricia

Thanks for stopping by, Patricia! My series, The Genesis Saga has two books: PASSION & STRUGGLE and TREACHERY & TRIUMPH. This post is part of a series of prequels to The Genesis Saga. I hope you enjoy! Shalom!